It's not Mukunuwenna

Chamikara WEERASINGHE

The Agriculture Department warned that a noxious aquatic weed plant resembling the appearance of the Mukunuwenna plant is being sold in the market as edible Mukunuwenna.

The noxious plant is known as Alligator weed.

It could be kept for a few days by sprinkling water on it without its appearance wearing away unlike Mukunuwenna plants whose leaves disintegrate in less than one day, Agriculture Department Director General Jinadari De Soyza said.

She advised the public to take extra care in selecting Mukunuwenna from the market as they can be Alligator weed.

It is a South American immigrant that can invade small waterways, ditches, drainage canals and streams canals, she said.

Alligator weed roots readily spread along waterways and then grow over the water surface as an anchored floating plant. It also grows terrestrially during dry periods.

It is a federal noxious weed and a prohibited or noxious plant in Arizona, California, Florida, and South Carolina (USDA, NRCS, 1999).

Alligator weed disrupts many economic uses of water. If mats break loose, the plant creates obstruction by piling up against bridges, dams, and sharp bends in waterways. Thick mats also increase mosquito habitat.

It also has the ability to absorb chemical content in pesticides and weedicides, and it can cause serious health hazards to humans, De Soyza said.